Belle-Clair Speedway Statement & Revised Schedule for Belle-Clair Promotions

don hoener said:
Revised Schedule for Belle-Clair Promotions @ Belle-Clair Speedway.


Friday September 13th – “PhotoBilly 50” WOO Outlaw Super Late Model Classic
Plus UMP Modifieds
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
I hear that for the WOO race everyone can bring a cooler into the races. Thanks Fair Board! Should be fun.
 
I have E-Mailed both the fairground site as well as the Mayor, I strongly encourage everyone to do so! Please be polite and respectful!
 
This very sad news. Belle-Clair is a great race track. A unique and real retro speedway with covered grandstands, wooden crash walls, and up close action few other tracks can match. A very short sighted fair board has ended a 60 year tradition of americana. A race track that for years entertained many generations of fans, local, and distant visitor. It has formed life long friendships and of course, the spirit of competition, all this from a simple oval of dirt. I feel saddened to think I will not see many people whom I only know by the smile on their face. Some will go somewhere else on Friday night, but many will not, Belle-Clair is their track. many have never been to another track, for a lifetime. That will be the same for many drivers, they were competitive at Belle-Clair. It takes more money to run tracks that require horsepower to be in the hunt.

I guest I/we shouldn't put a stake in it's heart just yet, many of you have good ideas to perhaps change the fair board flawed thinking, but the clock is ticking.
 
This is the saddest day of my life. Having Belle Clair Speedway close again.
Don Hoener has done a lot to keep Belle Clair going over the last three years. If he did not step forward when he did this track would have been closed three years ago.
You can't lose money week in and week out. Don did a lot of good things for the racers, but it can not continue with out the assistance from the Fair Board.
I am going to miss going to the track every Friday night. I am going to miss my race friends. I am going to miss the good racing.
We need a new Fair Board or some new members. 65 years of racing can not just go away like this.
Thanks Don and family for your support, time and money. Sorry it did not work out better.
 
I will go to Dons last two shows but will NOT have anything to do with that fair or any of their events except the 100 race . No gun shows . flea markets or anything else the board dose . If Belle Clair isn't good enough for them anymore I guess I'm not ether .
 
If the owner of Montgomery Motorsports Park was smart, he would get on the phone with Don and give him a new track to resurrect! Hard to believe the Fair Board would rather have the facility sit unused instead of working out an equitable arrangement with a promoter.
 
For those sending correspondence to the so-called "Fair Board" . Please understand that your are addressing a group of "OWNERS" who own the property and buildings, and not an elected or appointed "Fair Board". For a list of the fair ground owners names, search the IL Secretary of State website. The actual corporate name is "Belleclair Fairgrounds Park LLC".

I would also urge everyone to be respectful and civil with your words. Threats, nasty names, foul language and ignorance and "hate mail" will result only in your writings being ignored, deleted, or thrown in the trash can and honestly will do more harm than good.
 
Last edited:
Thank you Don and everyone else who helped put on the races. I really hate hearing the news, I have so many memories of Belle Vegas over the years. Don you and Dot have given a 110% to keep the track open and we all very much appreciate everything you have done.. Hope everything works out with the Fair Board next year.. Thanks Elaine
 
hotrod hanradt 68 said:
Thank you Don and everyone else who helped put on the races. I really hate hearing the news, I have so many memories of Belle Vegas over the years. Don you and Dot have given a 110% to keep the track open and we all very much appreciate everything you have done.. Hope everything works out with the Fair Board next year.. Thanks Elaine
Click to expand...
 
Wow sad news, Gotta give Don credit though for taking on a very tough job of Promoting Bell Vegas three years ago when the economy is in crunch mode, I'm sure good things things will come for him out of this, The man above always seems to look out for good people and Don is definately good people....
 
Im sad to hear this. Ive been a die hard fan of belleclair since the early 70s . To me its the best racing action in the st.louis area. Hope
 
dang nab it I was planning on going tomorrow night, for the woo show I will make sure I eat well before walking in the gates
 
What bad news this is. Fair Board ran the place in the ground with little or no promotion for years and then wondered why the crowds went down. Things change, 20 years ago they just opened the doors and the place filled There are many more options out there these days for people to spend their entertainment $$$ on. When St Clair Bowl and Bel-Air Bowl got involved in sponsoring races at BC in 2001 we thought it would be an excellent opportunity to get our name out in the community via the race track. That first year we sponsored the fair night over 2 hours into the evening the owner of the bowling centers and I realized that the bowling centers had not one time been mentioned over the PA system. When we talked to Stan about this he flew down to the infield and quickly had "Talker Guy' start giving us some props. Was not Mike M fault, Stan never told him what was going on. All this for $500, unreal. Allied had no idea we were supposed to take our vehicles out on the track at intermission to do the T-Shirt toss. Stan simply took our $500 and did nothing. In the ensuing years I must say we got great cooperation from Marathon, Donnie, Mike H, Linda S ,Mr Benedict and Mike M. Next Fri will mark St Clairs 13 consecutive year of sponsoring the fair race and as long as Donnie was promoting I don't think we would have ever ceased our association with him. The man was given zero chance to succeed. Donnie, thanks for everything you did for us and for giving it your all in promoting races at the track where I have been going since the mid 60's. Some of the fondest memories of my lifetime involve BC. My mom and dad took my brother and I to the races when we were 6 or 7 years old. Dad told me the first night there, " pick out a favorite driver" to root for. I picked the car that had a devil painted on the trunk lid. Ray Eby drove that car. Talked to Ray this aft and he will be coming over next Fri as well as Kenny Shrum who is our guest of honor. Hope a fair agreement can be reached over the winter so racing can continue at Belle- Clair Speedway next year. Thx to all the drivers, crews,employees,etc who over the years made the races happen. See everyone next Fri, Mike Mineman.
 
Here is a copy of an email I sent to the owners. Short and to the point.

To: Belleclair Fairgrounds Park
As a patron, fan, car sponsor and financial supporter of Belleclair Speedway, I feel it is shameful and unfair what you have done to Don Hoener. For the last 3 years, you have never given the man a chance to succeed with lousy and lopsided contracts that only set him up to fail. Please reconsider your decision to not negotiate for a mutually beneficial contract and give Don a fair shake at running the race track. He is truly the right man for the job. Allowing the track to close under these circumstances is certainly a black eye for the Fairgrounds. Fans and Racers Hearts are breaking all over town at the news we received today. Once again, I appeal to you to reconsider and negotiate fairly to get this settled. Thank you for taking time to read my plea.
 
I also sent a copy of this to the "Sound Off" Section of the BND.

Yesterday, many visitors and patrons of businesses in the city of Belleville received some terrible news. Belleclair Speedways will only host two more events this year, and negotiations for an equitable 2014 contract between promoter Don Hoener and the owners of Belleclair Fairgrounds Park have ceased. Unless a new contract is agreed upon or new promoter steps forward, it appears a long tradition of racing on Friday nights in Belleville will come to an end. It is unfortunate for the many businesses who depend on the income generated by the influx of fans and competitors each Friday and for the city of Belleville who will not benefit from the tax revenue generated. I have been a long time fan, car sponsor and financial sponsor of the track and Mr. Hoener, who despite unfair and lopsided contracts has kept the track operational over the last 3 years and is credited for saving the track from its eminent demise in 2010. I encourage all interested and concerned to contact the owners of Belleclair Fairgrounds Park and ask that they reconsider their decision and re-open negotiations for a fair and mutually beneficial contract with Mr. Hoener.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.




Back
Top